Jesús
Gran Cruz al Mérito Forero
Sin verificar
Gran cruz
http://www.131mirafiori.com/smf/index.php?board=1;topic=4728.11
In 1976, after seeing a Fiat commercial that promised the car would last 150,000 km, the Frenchman Willy Malaroda bought a Fiat 131S with a 1300 cc engine. Their relationship lasted for 1,025,098 kms - neither man nor car did give in.
This story proves how far drivers cherishing their cars can go.
Willy Malaroda, now 59 years hold, has spent more than half of his life with his mirafiori, going 1,025,098 kilometers together - through Europe, to the North Cape, to Russia, through Africa and even to the USA. Mr. Malaroda kept track of everything concerning his car: two huge folders contain protocols of every gas stop and all repairs. The logbooks list location, odometer reading and fuel consumption as well as weather conditions and ambient temperature. And they also include foreign speeding tickets never paid for, service bills, fines and insurance papers. Everything is laid down, from the first gas bill until the last oil change.
Mr. Malaroda is a very sincere man; however, sometimes a little strange. He travelled the world in his mirafiori - but never took it into Paris, only 30 km away from his home. According to his words, city traffic is bad for clutch and engine. His friends were bewildered: Who's this man who goes to the Northern Cape in a Fiat that already did 87,000 km? This is not the right car for a trip like this. However, they fell silent when Mr. Malaroda crossed the Sahara desert, the odometer now showing 366,000 km.
He's pedantic and punk at the same time: every sane man rents a car when travelling the USA. In contrast, Mr. Malaroda has his reliable Italian car shipped to Jacksonville, Florida (the odometer now showing 600,000 km).
The former General Manager and trainspotter who gave up his job in order to become a train conductor follows strict rules: never go faster than 120 km/h; keep the engine below 3,000 RPM; never go for short distances (below 10 km). For the first 100,000 km, he used 20W50 Total motor oil; later he switched to engine oil from the super market's shelf, shortening oil change intervals to 5,000 km. Spark plugs, air and oil filter he changed every 10,000 km, at this interval also exchanging tires axle wise (front to back and vice versa). He states that in this way a B.F. Goodrich set of tires lasts around 180,000 km.
Never ever Mr. Malaroda allowed strangers to drive his car, stressing that a car gets accustomed to its driver. He states that he knows his Fiat better than his own body. Every clunk, every dent, every flaw he jotted down in his "book of problems", the first flaw the day he bought the car, October 2, 1976: water in the trunk. His comment on that: the water seal seems to be badly engineered.
Some logbook entries are strange but straightforward: with a broken brake cylinder, Mr. Malaroda went from Istanbul to Paris, using only the hand brake. He quotes that he always made notes of breakdowns instantly and repaired "quickly". Most jobs he did by himself, giving the car away only for major repairs, like an engine rebuild after 560,000 km he had done in Italy in July 1999.
Seven years later, Mr. Malaroda went to Turkey to have the car welded and painted, "for 25% of the French price". On returning, he was busted at the Bulgarian border - the custom officers were alarmed by the smell of fresh paint and suspected drug trafficking. They kept him for three hours, even dismounting the gas tank.
On March 23, 2007, at 878,582 km, Mr. Malaroda had to call for roadside assistance the first time in 31 years. Not far from home the timing belt snapped, after only 20,000 km instead of 60,000 km. This happened two times more, and this was when Mr. Malaroda started considering to sell the mirafiori.
According to his words, the parts situation became more and more difficult, causing him to wait for three months for a wiper motor. He bought another 131 for spares (400 Euro), but to no avail: to his taste, the aged Italian car now costed him too much money, time and nerves. So he decided to give the car to charity. The German organization "Lebenshilfe Giessen" is the new owner of car and all documents; it will be sold to the highest bidder, all revenue going to charity projects. Contact person is Reinhard Schade, phone +49-160-7059039.
In 1976, after seeing a Fiat commercial that promised the car would last 150,000 km, the Frenchman Willy Malaroda bought a Fiat 131S with a 1300 cc engine. Their relationship lasted for 1,025,098 kms - neither man nor car did give in.
This story proves how far drivers cherishing their cars can go.
Willy Malaroda, now 59 years hold, has spent more than half of his life with his mirafiori, going 1,025,098 kilometers together - through Europe, to the North Cape, to Russia, through Africa and even to the USA. Mr. Malaroda kept track of everything concerning his car: two huge folders contain protocols of every gas stop and all repairs. The logbooks list location, odometer reading and fuel consumption as well as weather conditions and ambient temperature. And they also include foreign speeding tickets never paid for, service bills, fines and insurance papers. Everything is laid down, from the first gas bill until the last oil change.
Mr. Malaroda is a very sincere man; however, sometimes a little strange. He travelled the world in his mirafiori - but never took it into Paris, only 30 km away from his home. According to his words, city traffic is bad for clutch and engine. His friends were bewildered: Who's this man who goes to the Northern Cape in a Fiat that already did 87,000 km? This is not the right car for a trip like this. However, they fell silent when Mr. Malaroda crossed the Sahara desert, the odometer now showing 366,000 km.
He's pedantic and punk at the same time: every sane man rents a car when travelling the USA. In contrast, Mr. Malaroda has his reliable Italian car shipped to Jacksonville, Florida (the odometer now showing 600,000 km).
The former General Manager and trainspotter who gave up his job in order to become a train conductor follows strict rules: never go faster than 120 km/h; keep the engine below 3,000 RPM; never go for short distances (below 10 km). For the first 100,000 km, he used 20W50 Total motor oil; later he switched to engine oil from the super market's shelf, shortening oil change intervals to 5,000 km. Spark plugs, air and oil filter he changed every 10,000 km, at this interval also exchanging tires axle wise (front to back and vice versa). He states that in this way a B.F. Goodrich set of tires lasts around 180,000 km.
Never ever Mr. Malaroda allowed strangers to drive his car, stressing that a car gets accustomed to its driver. He states that he knows his Fiat better than his own body. Every clunk, every dent, every flaw he jotted down in his "book of problems", the first flaw the day he bought the car, October 2, 1976: water in the trunk. His comment on that: the water seal seems to be badly engineered.
Some logbook entries are strange but straightforward: with a broken brake cylinder, Mr. Malaroda went from Istanbul to Paris, using only the hand brake. He quotes that he always made notes of breakdowns instantly and repaired "quickly". Most jobs he did by himself, giving the car away only for major repairs, like an engine rebuild after 560,000 km he had done in Italy in July 1999.
Seven years later, Mr. Malaroda went to Turkey to have the car welded and painted, "for 25% of the French price". On returning, he was busted at the Bulgarian border - the custom officers were alarmed by the smell of fresh paint and suspected drug trafficking. They kept him for three hours, even dismounting the gas tank.
On March 23, 2007, at 878,582 km, Mr. Malaroda had to call for roadside assistance the first time in 31 years. Not far from home the timing belt snapped, after only 20,000 km instead of 60,000 km. This happened two times more, and this was when Mr. Malaroda started considering to sell the mirafiori.
According to his words, the parts situation became more and more difficult, causing him to wait for three months for a wiper motor. He bought another 131 for spares (400 Euro), but to no avail: to his taste, the aged Italian car now costed him too much money, time and nerves. So he decided to give the car to charity. The German organization "Lebenshilfe Giessen" is the new owner of car and all documents; it will be sold to the highest bidder, all revenue going to charity projects. Contact person is Reinhard Schade, phone +49-160-7059039.
